Stefan Aufenanger

Looking at the public as the scientific debate, there is a controversial discussion about the use of digital media in early childhood. While one side vehemently argues against smartphones and tablets, the other side sees no greater risk for children from the age of two onwards, if they use digital media appropriately. The latter even argue that certain applications could be well used by children 18 months and older. The question that arises from developmental psychology as well as from media education is whether children in or from this age on are able to use applications on a computer and tablet sensibly at all. We will present an experimental study about the navigation behaviour in tablet applications of children aged between two and six years. The children were presented with both known and unknown applications. Their navigation behaviour was recorded by screen recording, video recording and eye tracking. In addition, the children were asked about their understanding of the application. Their use of media in a family context was determined through oral interviews with a parent. The research question relates to the public and professional discussion as to the age at which children can use digital media sensibly and develop an understanding of its contents. The first results with eight children from the age group mentioned above show that younger children are already able to develop a good understanding and appropriate navigation behaviour.

Panel discussion